My best friend asked me if I was still doing system tasks.

Dou Xueran didn't know why Luo Hanying would suddenly ask such a question. She thought to herself, "Ruan Chayan has been studying at Yuling Peak for so long, but she has never told Luo Hanying about Yuling Peak."

Dou Xueran's expression was firm, with a hint of pride in her sect and Yuling Peak: "Of course not."

The "Xie Ran Xie Shou Dian" (Collaborative Beast Guide) practiced by the disciples of Yu Ling Peak emphasizes the relationship between cultivators and spirit beasts, as well as with nature.

We respect the wishes of spirit beasts. Even if we encounter a spirit beast that we want, we will negotiate with it politely and offer conditions that the spirit beast can accept.

If you force a spirit beast to acknowledge you as its master, the beast and the tamer will not be of one mind, making cultivation extremely difficult, and the tamer will inevitably suffer a backlash in the future!

Ruan Chayan felt a little guilty when she remembered how she had coerced and bribed Huajiao to become her spirit beast.

She just forcibly locked Huajiao in the spirit beast pouch, and she'll probably have to spend a lot of time coaxing it back later.

Luo Hanying hissed, clearly remembering how she had once scared Huajiao.

However, something else made her ponder: "If it's not a method used by your Yuling Peak to sign a contract with a spirit beast, then why do I sense the aura of an array operating on this little thing's wound?"

The little lion opened its eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in Luo Hanying's blood-red pupils.

"You mean all the injuries on its body were caused by the formation?"

Dou Xueran clearly couldn't accept that her fellow disciples would injure small animals for no reason. "No, we're from Yuling Peak..."

Luo Hanying could tell that Dou Xueran was eager to explain, so she quickly interrupted her: "I know."

I know that you, Yuling Peak, would not do such a thing.

Besides you, isn't there also Hidden Peak? Maybe they were the ones who did it?

Otherwise, how can you explain its severe injuries? They were sustained in a fight between wild beasts.

Upon hearing this, Ruan Chayan stared at the golden-red lion cub and tentatively asked, "So, it was injured because it blocked others from obtaining the rare and precious treasures? Just like the Golden Water Lion?"

Dou Xueran and Luo Hanying were so frightened that they stood up immediately, fearing that the little lion would suddenly attack.

However, it seemed not to understand what Ruan Chayan was saying, and even hummed and rubbed its head against Ruan Chayan's hand.

Luo Hanying peeked out and said, "It seems... it seems a little different from Sichuan peppercorns. It can't understand human speech, can it?"

Ruan Chayan couldn't figure it out either: "I don't know. Regardless of whether it understands or not, we should help it to the end and see it through to the end. We can't abandon it now."

"Xiaoxue, you hold it, I'll apply the medicine."

Luo Hanying carefully took the little lion, while Dou Xueran prepared cotton strips to help bandage it.

Ruan Chayan poured some medicine powder on the little lion, and it convulsed a few times in pain, causing the bleeding that had stopped to start flowing again.

Luo Hanying keenly sensed something was wrong: "Wait, wait, Cha Cha, why do I feel like there's a formation on its body? It seems to be blocking the medicinal powder from treating its wounds."

"Really?" Dou Xueran asked incredulously, gently expressing her doubt. "Junior Sister Luo, how did you figure that out? I've never encountered a formation that can stop a spirit beast's wounds from healing in all these years."

Luo Hanying countered, "What about the demonic beast?"

Dou Xueran thought for a moment and said, "I don't think I've ever heard of such a formation. If there really is such a formation, we would all definitely learn it so that we wouldn't be so afraid of monsters with strong recovery abilities when we travel."

Ruan Chayan believed in Luo Hanying's keen sense of formations. She was born with unique insights into formations; otherwise, how could she have had such an epiphany?

Looking at the lion cub's fur stained with blood, Ruan Chayan asked, "What should we do? Can you find the formation and break it?"

"I don't know, I just have that feeling."

Luo Hanying met Ruan Chayan's hopeful gaze, licked her lips, and said, "Shall I give it a try?"

Ruan Chayan glanced at the jade bottle in her hand and said, "I'll pour in some more powder and try it."

The powder is for stopping bleeding. If it makes the bleeding worse, something's definitely wrong. You might even be able to sense something.

The three hit it off immediately and began experimenting on the constantly roaring lion cub.

Just as Ruan Chayan was pouring out the medicinal powder, Luo Hanying suddenly produced a writing brush. With nothing to rely on, she wrote down the poem she had been reciting in mid-air: "Who knows that in the bright mirror, the image and shadow pity each other."

As Luo Hanying finished speaking, the words expanded and transformed into a huge bronze mirror, in which the images of Luo Hanying and the little lion appeared.

The mirror-like surface of the water rippled, and the little lion suddenly transformed into a ferocious creature. Its fiery red mane danced like clouds and mist, its four paws trod on flames, and its eyes were fierce. Four arrays of various sizes were like boxes suppressing its body from above, below, and to the sides.

Luo Hanying was startled when she met the ferocious beast in the mirror. The bronze mirror shattered instantly, and she instinctively threw the little thing in her arms away.

Ruan Chayan and Dou Xueran could only see that Luo Hanying had created a bronze mirror, but they could not see the scene that Luo Hanying could see in the bronze mirror. Therefore, they were very puzzled as to why Luo Hanying threw out the injured little lion when she was frightened.

Dou Xueran used her magic to catch the lion cub, but because of Luo Hanying's behavior, she didn't dare to hold it in her arms and just placed it far away on the grass.

Luo Hanying calmed her rapid breathing and spoke quickly: "Something's wrong with it! Something's wrong with you! What are you?! Is the image in the mirror your true self?!"

Why did you transform yourself like this to lie to us?! Why were you suppressed by the formation?!

Luo Hanying pulled Ruan Chayan and Dou Xueran back one after another, while the little lion in the distance seemed to know nothing, whimpering and wobbling as it stood up and walked towards them.

Luo Hanying was on edge and, before the two could ask any questions, she blurted out the reason: "I saw this thing in the bronze mirror and it looked really fierce!"

It has fire under its four paws, fire on its tail, and a mane that floats around!

There are four formations pressing down on it!

When I made eye contact with it, my heart nearly jumped out of my mouth! It's definitely not normal! There's something wrong with it!

After hearing Luo Hanying's words, Dou Xueran was still somewhat skeptical, but Ruan Chayan immediately went into battle mode to guard against a sudden attack from the ferocious beast.

Dou Xueran murmured, "Why do I feel like your description sounds familiar..."

"I feel like I've heard of someone with a similar appearance somewhere before..."

The little lion looked at the three of them with hurt in its eyes, then turned away dejectedly and quietly walked into the water.

The water level covered its head, some bubbles appeared, and then it gradually calmed down.

While Ruan Chayan was still cautiously observing the little lion's actions to see what its purpose was, Luo Hanying was completely dumbfounded: "No? Huh? Wait? It, it, it jumped into the lake??? Oh my god!"

"Have we misunderstood it? I can't just watch it die!"

Dou Xueran hurriedly stepped forward and scooped up the little lion.

The feathers hovered in the air, observing the situation on the ground, always ready to protect their master.

Ruan Chayan couldn't stop this animal-brained woman, and helplessly helped Luo Hanying take a few steps closer.